Chapter 12
On the other end of the phone, Sua’s mother could only cry and couldn’t speak properly. Not long after, the call abruptly ended, leaving Sua feeling bewildered. Then, she received a call from her brother Jihun.
“Father collapsed. He has been transferred to Hanse Hospital. Come quickly.”
That was all. Sua didn’t even properly dress herself, just grabbed her phone and rushed out. Hailing a taxi, she sent a text to Hyun-oh.
<Father collapsed. Heading to Hanse Hospital.>
Even though she knew he probably wouldn’t care where she went, she still sent him the message.
After that, her memory was blank for a moment. She momentarily lost her senses, unable to think of anything.
The hospital was chaotic to that extent.
Maybe he’s just a little unwell. It’s nothing serious. Despite reassuring herself several times on the way there, as soon as she arrived at the hospital, shouts echoed in her ears.
“Mr. Han, let’s take a look at Mr. Han.”
What’s going on?
Not only had her father collapsed, but also, several people were making a scene. Inside the emergency room, people who weren’t even family members were causing a commotion.
Among the skeptical remarks about her father’s condition, Sua grabbed a trembling doctor and asked what had happened to her father, only to hear that he might be in critical condition. The shock didn’t end there. While searching for her father, Sua found Jiheon in a disheveled state in one corner of the emergency room.
He had always been an authoritarian and intimidating older brother. He had always been so towering in front of her, but today, he couldn’t seem smaller. Approaching Jiheon, who was curled up, Sua grabbed his shoulders, and he lifted his head.
“What happened, oppa? How’s father?”
“He’s in surgery.”
Jiheon lowered his head again.
“What’s his condition? And what’s going on?”
When Sua tried to shake Jiheon and ask what had happened, she heard him say,
“Han Dong Electronics is scheduled to go bankrupt tomorrow. Father was running around trying to do something about it…”
He collapsed.
At that story, Sua frowned.
“The company is bankrupt?”
“Yeah. People who know have known the company was in trouble,” Jiheon said.
“It’s a story everyone knows.”
However, Sua didn’t know.
Despite her brother’s calm voice, the emergency room was chaotic. People from the company and those financially involved with her father were mostly angry and shouting.
“I need to see him to believe he’s really in pain! Let’s see if he’ll die after eating up my money!”
She felt a moment of vertigo.
She just couldn’t believe it. Her father collapsing today, and the company going bankrupt tomorrow. Too much information flooded her mind all at once.
At that moment, something warm draped over her trembling shoulders. When she looked at the person who offered her the coat, he was right there beside her.
Her husband, Hyun-oh, was standing there.
When did he arrive?
“Mr. Hyun-oh…”
She looked up at him with still unfocused eyes. Hyun-oh, already seeming to have heard the news, furrowed his brows. His stern expression was directed at her.
“They took Father into the operating room.”
“D… Did they?”
“He’ll be fine.”
“…Will he really?”
While silence filled the space between Sua and Hyun-oh, people around them continued to cry and shout. The medical staff hurried back and forth, their faces grim.
Observing their expressions, Sua suddenly lifted her head to look at him.
“Mr. Hyun-oh.”
“Yes?”
“…Han Dong Electronics is going bankrupt.”
What would his reaction be? Her mouth felt parched.
Although their marriage might have had some sympathy mixed in, it was still a marriage of convenience. Hyun-oh needed Han Dong’s power to secure his position within the group. If he knew that Han Dong was crumbling…
How would he react?
However, unlike Sua, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, Hyun-oh’s demeanor was composed.
“I see.”
Contrary to Sua’s expectations, there was no surprise in his tone. It was Sua who widened her eyes in response to his reaction.
He didn’t respond with any affirmation. The fact that Hyun-oh knew about the company’s bankruptcy crisis was more surprising than anything else.
“Since when did you know?”
“For quite some time.”
His face remained firmly set. Unlike his hand resting on her shoulder, his expression was cold and distant.
Ah…
Finally, Sua understood.
Why he had been keeping his distance from her.
Why he had been putting on a façade whenever he looked at her.
[When the situation gets worse… Did Father-in-law instruct him to do all this?]
Why there was a sense of disgust in Hyun-oh’s voice when he said that.
Finally, she understood everything.
Sua took a step back from him. Even indoors, her body felt cold to the tips of her toes.
Despite it being early summer, a chilly breeze swept through. Unattended weeds in the garden rustled softly. Sua’s eyes, gazing at those weeds, trembled too.
She hadn’t had time to pay attention to household chores lately.
After collapsing, her father underwent surgery and treatment several times, but there was no sense of satisfaction in his recovery. He passed away unresponsive, just three days later. He never regained consciousness.
The towering figure of her father, who always used to scold her, toppled over with just one gust of wind.
That wasn’t all.
Han Dong was rotten to the core.
Amidst a recall scandal of its flagship product and revelations of fraudulent accounting, a storm hit Han Dong Group. With the disappearance of Han Dong’s leader, the group collapsed in an instant. The Han Dong Group, which had been ranked 7th in the chaebol rankings for 60 years, was placed under court receivership.
Barely clinging to life, it became nothing more than a company in name. All within a few months.
Barely clinging to life… Sua felt the same way.
I guess I’m not a filial daughter after all.
After her father passed away, she didn’t shed any tears. Perhaps because it was too hard to believe. But when she thought of Hyun-oh, even just sitting quietly made her heart ache.
Suddenly, as Sua gazed at the garden, blurred words slipped out of her mouth.
“What’s going to happen to us now?”
After her father passed away, Hyun-oh had become even gentler.
“Stay by your mother’s side for the time being. You can go to your parents’ house if you want. Do whatever you wish.”
“Thank you.”
She replied to his affectionate words, but Suah didn’t return to her parents’ home. Sometimes she went home during the day to take care of her mother, but she always sat at home waiting for him in the evenings when there was a chance he might return.
But he didn’t come back.
It was the same today.
The time passed 6 p.m. without him showing up, despite a call saying he would be late.
He must resent me.
Before their marriage, Sua had confidently told him:
“If you marry me, it won’t be a loss for you. Even if my father doesn’t approve of me, I’m the eldest daughter of the Han Dong Group.”
“If you marry me, it will help your brother establish himself at PY.”
Without knowing the situation, she had dared to speak so foolishly.
Now, the name “Han Dong” meant nothing more or less than a burden to him. Their marriage was just like a sham. She no longer had any excuse to cling to him and ask him to love her.
She just remained quietly here.
Not knowing what to do, she stood silently in the kitchen when Sua’s phone rang loudly for the first time in a while.
– RRRRR
The unfamiliar word “Mom” appeared on her phone screen.
***
“Sweetie, I’m out because of a gathering in Gangnam. Let’s have dinner together for a moment.”
“Oh, are you saying right now?”
“If Hyun-oh isn’t home, come out for a while.”
It was a tone that didn’t entertain refusal.
Hyun-oh’s mother, Mrs. Cha, was always like that. She would simply say what she needed to and hang up the phone as a matter of habit. Today, too, she quickly hung up after telling Sua to come out.
The quiet Sua found Mrs. Cha’s abruptness daunting.
No, it would be difficult for anyone, not just Sua, to handle Mrs. Cha.
In the VIP lounge of Hanshin Department Store, Sua couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she took a taxi straight to where Mrs. Cha was.
A staff member was bowing repeatedly beside her, his waist bent. His face turned blue with embarrassment, as if he had made a mistake. It was pitiful to see someone of her own age being scolded like that.
“Mom.”
To rescue him, Sua quickly approached Mrs. Cha.
“I’m here.”
“Oh, really? Late?”
The sharp gaze directed at the staff member turned toward Sua. Mrs. Cha glanced Sua’s outfit up and down, then clicked her tongue.
“Why are you dressed like you’re going out?”
“Because you said it was urgent.”
Despite the urgency, Sua had chosen a modest dress for meeting her mother. It wasn’t overly formal attire, but it was respectful enough for a meeting with her mother. However, she doubted it would please her mother’s eyes.
Since the downfall of the Han Dong Group, Mrs. Cha had never favored Sua. Every time they met, she would scrutinize Sua with narrowed eyes and find fault with everything about her.
“I can’t talk about it here because it’s embarrassing. Let’s go over there.”
Mrs. Cha pointed to a room that was set up independently. When Sua followed her gaze, a staff member guided them there. After the refreshments were served, Mrs. Cha waved her hand to dismiss the staff.
During the silence, Sua waited with clasped hands for Mrs. Cha to speak.
Although Mrs. Cha was always a difficult mother-in-law, lately it had become even worse. Thinking about Han Dong’s affairs only made her mother more difficult.
After sipping tea for a while, Mrs. Cha finally spoke.
“How have you been lately?”
“I’m fine.”
“Your face looks a bit swollen. Don’t tell me you’re pregnant?”
Sua quickly shook her head to dispel any misunderstandings. Pregnant? They hadn’t even properly encountered each other since their honeymoon. There was no way she could be pregnant. As Mrs. Cha’s questions continued, Sua felt herself shrinking smaller and smaller.
“There’s still no baby.”
“Is that so?”
After taking another sip of tea, Mrs. Cha set down her teacup.
“That’s good.”
For the first time today, a smile appeared on Mrs. Cha’s face.
“The reason I called you today is because I think it’s time for us to tidy things up.”
“Tidy things up?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Cha smirked and raised one corner of her lips.
“It’s time to sort out your marriage with Hyun-oh.”
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is Sid. I hope you liked it<3
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